This invention relates to interactive display and manipulation of computer images.
The need for interactive display and manipulation of computer images has been extensively addressed in the patent literature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,547 discloses an apparatus and a method of operation for manipulating the display of an object on a display device in accordance with sensing a touching contact on a touch pane, superimposed on a display surface of the display device. Movement of the displayed object is simulated in accordance with characteristics of the touching contact on the touch panel adjacent to the displayed object image. Further, object data defining the display of the object image for each of a plurality of different states of the object, display information specifying the shape and physical properties of the object and the current display position thereof and file information relating to the stored data are stored and accessed for interpreting the simulated manipulation of the object by the characteristics of the touching contact therewith, for correspondingly manipulating and displaying the thus manipulated object image.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,759 discloses a TV animation interactively controlled by the viewer through input above a book page. A video system enables the operator to repeatedly touch a study object to change the action according to dramatics or game on a video display.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,424 discloses a system and method for providing selected video images to local telephone stations. Subscriber selected advertising is provided in the form of video images to a local telephone station. The telephone network includes a telephone line system and switch facility contained within the line system for forwarding calls made by a calling party from a local telephone station through the telephone line system to a destination point. The local telephone station is interfaced with the network. The phone includes a display monitor for receiving data corresponding to video images and displaying same. The images are stored in a central database and compressed into data packets of lesser bandwidth for transmission from the database through a network interface and into the existing telephone line system packet form to the local telephone station where they are arranged and decompressed for display on the monitor. A plurality of telephone stations can be grouped into a cluster unit. In this format, video data is preferably compressed, multiplexed, transmitted over the telephone network, demultiplexed and then decompressed for display at respective monitors. Interaction with a caller is effected via a selected touch tone sequence made by the caller for routing the call to the image database for selecting and transmitting to the local telephone station preselected video images.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,811 discloses a method and apparatus for controlling human-computer interface systems providing force feedback using an interface device manipulated by a user. A microprocessor is provided local to the interface device and reads sensor data from sensors that describes the position and/or other information about an object grasped and moved by the user, such as a joystick. The microprocessor provides the sensor data to a host computer that is coupled to the interface device by a communication bus that preferably includes a serial interface. In a xe2x80x9chost-controlledxe2x80x9d embodiment, the host computer calculates force values using the sensor data and other parameters of a host application program and sends the force values to the local microprocessor, which directly provides the force values to actuators to apply forces to the user object. In a xe2x80x9creflexxe2x80x9d embodiment, the host computer sends high level supervisory commands to the local microprocessor, and the microprocessor independently implements a local process based on the high level command for reading sensor data and providing force values to the actuators using sensor data and other parameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,263 discloses an interactive visual ordering system particularly for restaurants for facilitating ordering menu items by a customer. The customer can request the system to display full-color images of a menu item as a help to decide what to order. The customer can also obtain a list of ingredients, method of preparation and nutritional information for a selected menu item. The system includes a portable computer including a data input device; a video monitor electronically connected to the computer; and a set of photo-realistic images digitally accessible to the computer. A set of food item characteristics is digitally accessible to the computer and presentable in alphanumeric form, wherein at least some of the characteristics are associated with at least one of the images. The computer is adapted to display one or more of the images and one or more of the characteristics associated with the image or images on the monitor in response to manipulation of the data input device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,697 shows a vending apparatus for a self-service store comprising a memory for storing product data associated with a plurality of different stored items, the product data including multiple displays of more precise product information on successive screen images for display on a display panel. An input means includes a touch sensing input device on the display panel and allows selection and designation data to be received from a user indicative of selected products.
These references are typical of systems allowing image manipulation using touch sensitive sensors. However, the touch sensors merely serve to allow user selection of pre-stored characteristics and do not actually provide the user with an impression of tactile feedback. Tactile feedback is important in a large number of circumstances. For example, tactile feedback provides valuable information about saleable products which is not assessable from mail order catalogues be they in printed form or computer implemented. For instance, the xe2x80x9cfeelxe2x80x9d of cloth is important when purchasing clothes, particularly, albeit not exclusively, lingerie.
Tactile feedback may also form an essential component of sex therapy. It is known that sexual dysfunction is commonly psychological rather than physiological on the gradual building up of a patient""s self-confidence, using various means for inducing sexual stimulation. Short of using surrogate partners, which is an extreme and often unacceptable approach, little has been offered to simulate the sensation of feel, notwithstanding its crucial importance in real life.
It is an object of the invention to give a user an impression of tactile feedback which allows visual images to be manipulated according to the manner in which the user contacts one or more touch-sensitive switches.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for giving a user an impression of tactile feedback, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) storing a plurality of computer-accessible movie sequences of at least one image relating to a predetermined subject,
(b) providing to the user an appliance associated with said at least one image,
(c) using said appliance to input tactile-dependent signals to the computer, and
(d) displaying on a display device connected to the computer one of said movie-sequences in accordance with said tactile-dependent signals.
Unlike the prior art, the tactile-dependent signals are not used to select pre-stored images on a one-to-one basis but rather allow selection of pre-stored images according to the order, rate and/or pressure with which a sequence of touch sensors are contacted. Moreover, in the prior art, there appears to be no suggestion that an appliance may be associated with an image to be displayed such that the appliance allows for the communication of tactile-dependent signals to the computer which processes the image. Thus, the prior art merely teaches the use of touch panels, for instance, for selecting an image to be displayed. Several touch panels or touch-sensitive areas of a display device have also been provided, each for selecting a different respective image to be displayed. However, the display of movie or animated image sequences based on sequential contact of a plurality of touch panels or touch-sensitive elements has not been proposed hitherto. Most important, the invention provides tactile feedback that reinforces the actual sensation of feel associated, for example, with a particular texture.